Creative Idea Gal Blog – Writer’s Voice Circle

We’ve already had a great introduction to freelance writer Kiril Kundurazieff and his unique writing style as a “cat blogger.”  A terrific interview with Kiril and Kiril’s patient and descriptive responses to my questions generated an extensive two-part interview, written exclusively from Kiril’s own perspective.

Now, we return to the writer’s voice circle which I write from my own perspective, just like every single blog post on the Creative Idea Gal blog.  Let’s recap what I mean by “writer’s voice.”  Every single writer and blogger uses his own individual style to write.  His writing is further colored by his own personal experiences, education, upbringing, employment, and about a million other factors.  In short, no two people share the same writing style because each person has a distinctive way of writing.

Within the writer’s voice circle, I hope to capture those writing voices I find most intriguing and exciting.  In the first blog post on this series, I featured the voice of Hawaiian-based Lori Tian Sailata.  In today’s post, I want to highlight another unique writer’s voice by continuing our discussion on freelance writer Kiril Kundurazieff.

The Passionate Cat Blogger Entertains

Riddle: What do you get when you add one part ham to two parts cat? Answer: An entertainer that is larger than life!

Self-described as a cat blogger, Mad Macedonian, and pundit of sorts, today’s featured writer can be best analogized to Santa’s bag of treats.  Kiril, like Santa, gives treats to his readers.  He uses pure passion to give, and in giving, pulls out treats that are unexpected, generating surprise and sometimes shock.

Kiril Kundurazieff, a blogger and writer based in southern California, is in the process of moving to Houston, Texas, to start a new life along with his two cats, Nikita and Elvira.  I met Kiril virtually through Robert Lee Brewer’s April platform challenge for writers.

Sad Passions

The very first post I ever saw from Kiril was a Facebook message that was rife with sadness and desperation.  I responded to that post in the only way I thought was appropriate – by citing my own newfound strength in faith and encouraging Kiril to keep his chin up because things would get better.  The more I interacted with Kiril, the more I started seeing a pattern of sad messages.  Why so much sadness?

Wondering why Kiril would want to expose such naked truths about the problems he is going through, I came up with only one conclusion – Kiril expresses himself emotionally as the sign of a person who wears his heart on his sleeve.  And with every colorful emotion we readers come across in Kiril’s writing, it is as if we are admiring the different badges of courage that symbolize the shades of disappointment in Kiril’s life.

You may see for yourself what I am talking about.  Join Kiril by “friending” him on Facebook.  When Kiril mentions that he is doing something and feels this, but not that, it isn’t time to put on the psychiatrist’s white coat and tell Kiril to lay down on the hard sofa.  It’s time to encourage Kiril and tink coffee cups in friendship, because it’s only going to get better.

Funny, Ingenious, Comical Passions

When Kiril Kundurazieff isn’t feeling morose about his life, he pulls a 180 and faces the other direction. He steps up to the virtual microphone and begins to entertain a crowd of intrigued and enthusiastic readers, doing cartwheels in writing, hoping to garner some laughs along the way as he hee hees here and hee hees over there.  In short, Kiril transforms himself into the clown he was meant to be, none other than Groucho Marx himself.  See the picture below.

The resemblance is uncanny, isn’t it?

“Hee hee” with the accompanying happy face by the way, is Kiril’s trademark comment that he routinely makes when he responds to Facebook posts and makes jokes.  It is Kiril’s unique take on the ubiquitous LOL.  Before I get to the reasons why I find Kiril’s comments and writing to be funny, let me quickly point out an observation about comedies, jokes, and all things funny.  There is no standard definition for what is funny.  That means that the determination of what constitutes “funny” becomes subjective.

For example, Saturday Night Live’s definition of funny often comes in the form of someone vomiting on someone else. Because I think that is horrendous and repulsive, I do not find the vomit skits to be funny at all.  The political shows and the late night talk shows that skewer celebrities and politicians by making fun of their lives and career choices, also, not funny to me.

Now that you have a glimpse into what I personally find not funny, I’m pleased as punch to highlight Kiril Kundurazieff as a funny person and an even funnier writer.  Here is a video I found on YouTube with a title: “The Mad Macedonian Greets His Public.”

I personally thought this video was hilarious. It was the first time I had heard Kiril’s speaking voice and was amazed at how clear and commanding he sounds. The video opens with Kiril, pronounced like cereal, with his face obstructed by a photo that reads “Kiril the Destroyer.” Kiril goes on to share some of his life story from the “think tank” of his home in southern California.

You may think I’m a nutball for thinking this is funny, but let’s go back to the drawing board. Remember, because there is no standard definition for what is funny, it is okay for me to say that Kiril’s video is funny and for you to disagree with me.  Then again, you may agree and think it’s as hilarious as I think it is!  To me, this video is classic Kiril and funny. It is completely G-rated, sweet, and funny, kind of like the humor created by Ellen Degeneres.

Inspiring Passions

Kiril may write sadly about his life or comically about everything else, but he also has a penchant to be inspiring. This is that endearing quality that Kiril doesn’t realize he has.  I think that Kiril inspires his readers without intending to.

The inspiration comes in the form of “PYTW” blog posts.  PYTW stands for prompting yourself to write, which is Kiril’s acronym for writing prompts.  In each PYTW prompt, Kiril asks himself a question, which is the writing prompt, and proceeds to answer the question with as many details as possible.  The results of Kiril’s writing prompts are enthusiasm for life and appreciation for what he has.

In reading Kiril’s PYTW writing prompts, I was inspired to reflect upon his questions (prompts) and tried to answer them for myself.  Perhaps the most inspiring of Kiril’s prompts was “PYTW 34 – Dear Mad Macedonian: A Love Letter.”   I loved this blog post so much that I forwarded the link to my friends on Facebook, along with a comment that this is the perfect form of self love that all writers should practice.

Political Passions

A passionate person who wears his heart on his sleeve and does not mind expressing his opinions or feelings on any given subject matter, Kiril enjoys posting multiple links, photos, and commentaries on the state of politics and hot-button social issues.

I neither like politics nor support a person’s radical opinions on politics, but I do respect Kiril for posting what is on his mind. To me, that is not just a sign of passion, but a true mark of authenticity.  I’ve been reading so much about authenticity lately, on what distinguishes good writers from not good writers. Let’s just say that the better writers whose work floats to the top like the cream of the crop are the ones who are authentic – true to themselves.

And that is Kiril Kundurazieff, authentic and true to himself.

These are my perspectives into Kiril’s personality.  Now that you’ve learned about his sad, comical, inspirational, and political passions, now we can delve into another layer of Kiril’s writing work in his multi-layer cake.  Tomorrow is part 4 and the conclusion of 4 blog posts dedicated to the creative writing of Kiril Kundurazieff.

In tomorrow’s blog post, we will find out what the next steps should be in Kiril’s writing pursuits.  Watch out – this may just surprise you.

As always, I look forward to your comments below. Thanks!